Orientation Space Re-Design

Client: ​​Leeds Museums and Galleries / Leeds Industrial Museum at Armley Mills
Housed in what was once the world's largest woollen mill, Leeds Industrial Museum celebrates the rich history of the city's industrial past including manufacturing textiles, clothing, printing, engineering and locomotives. 
Originally, the Orientation Space was simply an empty room which visitors passed through at the start of their museum tour. It also doubled up as an activities area for visiting school pupils. The curators realised this was a wasted opportunity and (after winning the pitch proposal) hired Inchpunch to create an engaging new space that would incorporate the following criteria:
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• Have a contemporary and modern feel that will appeal to the museum’s diverse range of visitors.
• Introduce a "timeline" that is informative, makes the most of the available space and is fully functional as a visitor directional tool.
• Communicate the diversity of the museum collections.
The vinyl timeline floor graphic incorporates three themes (Armley Mills, British History and Leeds Industries) with each theme having its own distinctive colour. The large circles (approx 700mm diameter) highlight key dates / information along the timeline journey. Though the timeline is visually engaging, informative and functional, we had to ensure it didn’t dominate the space allowing the museum objects and collections to shine. The timeline also acts as a navigational aid, guiding visitors through the space to the lower floor entrance.
The timeline isn’t restricted to just the floor space. At certain points it ventures up onto the walls making the whole room feel part of the journey. The wall mounted key date circles and cut out image panels stand proud of the wall to create a more immersive experience.

The huge aluminium circular panel measures 1500mm in diameter and proudly displays names, industries, companies and brands associated with Leeds' industrial heritage.
We invited Inchpunch to pitch for this project after seeing a previous installation they had completed at one of our sister sites. From the minute we first saw the proposed room design the team unanimously agreed to appoint Inchpunch. The project was professionally handled from start to finish and the installation was completed in a single day which was particularly impressive.
We have received fantastic feedback from both visitors and staff about the space and it has now become a focal point for the whole museum. The transformation of the room exceeded my own high expectations and what's more it was done on time and to budget.